For a Good Paws lacked substance and was not as fun to read as I expected.

However, the potential is there for a great cozy mystery. It just needs tweaking.

I really loved this book in a new to me author. The characters and location really and to the story. I can't wait to read the next one. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

I have read the 2nd book in this series, and now the 5th. I had no problem following the story, although I noticed that the romantic relationships had progressed quite a bit. This book finds our protagonist Carrie, still working hard with her part-time vet clinic job as well as both her bakeries. She is much busier in this story, so has had to hire more help. One of these characters, Dedra, plays an integral part in this mystery. This mystery finds a man, Mike Holpurn paroled from prison after serving only ten years of a life sentence. He insists he is innocent of the crime he confessed to years earlier and wants to clear his name. Coincidentally, the husband of the man he murdered moves back to town and they encounter one another during a birthday celebration. Dedra argues with Henry Schulzer, and when he turns up dead, she is the main suspect. Carrie knows she would not kill anyone, so she puts her investigator hat on to find out who the real killer was.

I must say, I enjoyed this book much more than the previous one I read. There is more investigating in the story and more depth to the happenings in town. I enjoyed the secondary characters and of course dogs play an important part in the story. Carrie sets out to question people, search for information and put together the pieces in a much more purposeful way. There is a nosy reporter, who seems to be railroading Dedra, the sister of the dead man who wants his dogs and Mike Holpurn and his brothers who are really annoying and bullying, which all added to the plot, the suspect list and the red herrings. Even though there is still a lot of Carrie's life and the life of the town in this one, it doesn't take over the story like I felt in the second book in this series. I had an inkling of the culprit, but wasn't sure until the reveal came at the end. Fortunately for Carrie, she is a smart cookie and her phone saves the day. Another fun cozy mystery.

For a Good Paws is about a Carrie Kennersly - owner of a bakery for dogs and humans, who is concerned when a local killer is being paroled. She is afraid he will be showing up on her doorstep and causing trouble. The plot was different from others, especially having a human and pet bakery together. The plot was a bit confusing with a lot of information back and forth in time. Carrie was running too much between her bakery, the BARKERY, the vets office and the animal shelter. We knew she was busy, but didn’t need all that drawn out detail as most of that didn’t relate to details of the story. I thought it pulled me out of the story line.

This was not what I was expecting at all. I was hoping for a fun, kind of cozy mystery. This was honestly a bit of a letdown.
The writing, editing & storyline needed a lot of work. And it may be because I read an early release of the book.
I’m hoping the kinks were worked out by the time it was published.

This fifth installment in A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series is a stark departure from the quality of the earlier entries. The plot is a bit weak and the writing isn't up to par. I'm not giving up yet, because I really enjoyed the earlier books!

For a Good Paws is the fifth installment in the A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series set in the small town of Knobcone Heights and featuring Carrie Kennersley, part time vet tech and bakery owner who cooks for both people and pets. Carrie's employee Dinah is anxious for Mike Holpurn to move back to town, recently paroled the man has served ten years of his life sentence for allegedly killing the town's female mayor Flora Shulzer, and Dinah wants to find out more about him and the crime.

At the same time that Mike and his brothers arrive back in town so does the widower, Henry Shulzer who had moved away shortly after his wife's murder. Nobody is really sure why Henry is back but when a confrontation occurs at the Barkery between Henry, Mike and Dinah and later that day Henry is found dead, Carrie once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

A weak plot, choppy writing and repetitious mundane details made getting through this latest addition to the series slow and almost painful. I usually enjoy Carrie and Biscuit but this time I was glad to reach the last page - I won't give up on the series - yet.

I received an advanced copy of For a Good Paws from NetGalley via Midnight Ink. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

I've only read one other book in this series (book 4) but I quickly got acquainted with Carrie and all her very likable friends in Knobcone Heights, so a return there was really enjoyable. This was a good mystery that involved one of Carrie's own employees and the death of a man she'd argued with, but somehow the detectives have come to expect Carrie to come to bat for people she knows and cares about--even though they enjoy giving her a little grief sometimes about investigating.

The two characters that really grew on me from the last book were Billi, who is a councilwoman and runs the animal rescue in Knobcone, and Arvie, the sweet older vet that Carrie works for at her vet tech job...when she's not at her bakeries or chasing clues. I definitely didn't see it coming about who the perp was until the clues started coming together. I like that Carrie is smart about investigating and keeps her phone on her at all times--it could just save her life someday! ;) I have the best of intentions to start this series from the beginning, but there are so many cozy mysteries out there that distract me. I'll keep trying though.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Such a novel idea, a bakery and a barkery (a bakery for pets) connected by a hallway with a main character who has fused her love of baking with her love of pets and of course she is also an inquisitive mystery solver. This time the mystery starts with the release of the man convicted of murdering the mayor Knobcone Heights, the same man who swears he didn't do it and in fact alleges that the mayor's own husband did her in. What really gets Carrie Kennersly and her canine companion Biscuit into the thick of it is whey her full time assistant Dinah becomes a "person of interest" in the death of widower Henry Shulzer, the aforementioned husband of the deceased Mayor. You see Dinah fancies herself a writer and she sees the possibilities of a story from all that drama. Like any good cozy character, Carrie is not going to let her friend get railroaded and she for sure isn't going to let the deceased's two adorable pups end up with out some justice or a proper home. More than one mystery and both people and pup treat recipes await you in this paws-itivly wonderful cozy!

This is a series I always enjoy returning to . I have read and recommend the entire series. Carrie and her bakeries and pets is always a fun read with a well crafted sleuth. The author has a winning formula here for animal lovers and those who enjoy a good mystery. I love the animal companions here and the likable people featured in this series. This is a well crafted read that is the perfect blend of murder,, mystery and wonderful pets.
Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher for this ARC. My opinion is my own.
In this next installment Carrier is running both bakeries. She owns and runs a bakery for pet treats and a bakery connected in the same building for people. Both are popular and well loved in her small town. Carrie has a knack for solving mysteries and she is soon to be involved in another murder.

Carrie's full time employee and friend Dinah is having a birthday. She is excited over information she has learned about a former resident who is being paroled from prison who has many in town upset as he was accused of murdering their former mayor. The murder occurred 10 years earlier and now suspicions are flaring and residents are upset. Dinah is soon found to have further information on the crime. Soon another murder of the former victim's wife occurs and Carrie is determined to solve the case.

I love the interplay combination here of people and pets. This is a pleasing read that has a well crafted sleuth and fun likable charcters. I look forward to the next in series. As a loyal reader of this series I do hope it will continue.

Smart, enjoyable, and entertaining, FOR GOOD PAWS is the perfect addition to the already wonderful Barkery and Biscuit Mysteries by author Linda O. Johnston. This series gets consistently better with every book, and FOR GOOD PAWS is no exception.

If you are looking for an edge-of-your-seat nail biter, this is not it. If you want a pleasant cozy mystery with dogs, food, and some romance, read this one. The main character Carrie is a busy woman running a people bakery and a dog bakery, being a part-time vet tech, helping a local animal rescue and helping the police solve murders in which her friends always seem to be suspects. This story combines an old murder with the killer recently paroled and returning to town with a new murder that is related to the first one. The descriptions of clothing and mundane details of everyday life seemed a little unnecessary, but the one thing that really bothered me was the doubt Carrie seemed to have of her friend's innocence. Still, I found this to be a light enjoyable read after some heavier darker books I have read recently. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC copy.

For a Good Paws: A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery
By Linda O. Johnston
Midnight Ink
May 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

Catering to both humans and their furry companions at her combination bakeries Icing on the Cake and Barkery & Biscuits, owner Carrie Kennersly has also built a solid reputation investigating murder around their town of Knobcone Heights. Surprisingly, it’s not she but her baking assistant Dinah Greeley who is fascinated by the news of former resident Mike Holpurn’s release from prison. Ten years ago the contractor confessed to killing Mayor Flora Morgan Shulzer, and his return has aspiring writer Dinah determined to interview him for inspiration for her novel. Unfortunately, it’s a public and very aggressive argument with the late Mayor’s widower that places her and not Mike on the top of the suspect list when Henry Shulzer joins his late wife in death.

Carrie’s record for solving murders pretty much makes it a no-brainer that she will be in the middle of this one as well, especially since it involves her only full-time baker. That doesn’t mean that Carrie doesn’t still have a few doubts about Dinah innocence, especially in light of her overwhelming enthusiasm for getting into the heads of her research subjects. Pleas by the victim’s dogwalker to find justice for him, as well as his two golden cocker spaniel mixes, further spur Carrie on after another murder occurs and Dinah appears to be even guiltier. That doesn’t mean that Carrie still won’t manage to fulfill her duties as the part-time veterinarian for her boyfriend Dr. Reed Storme, but Carrie’s schedule is certainly full as she manages her bakeries, attempts to find homes for the two orphaned pups, and prevents what may be yet another case of injustice.

Pet and animal lovers will of course adore this very human-companion-friendly mystery series, and loyal readers will appreciate the progression of the relationship between Carrie and Reed. By this fifth of the series Carrie doesn’t hesitate to hurl herself in to the middle of an investigation, and she and the detectives have forged a respectful regard for one another. Carrie’s priorities are always for her charges and especially her golden toy poodle-terrier mix Biscuit, and recipes included at the end deliver on her promise to create healthy and tasty treats for all. Sharp readers will follow the dogs’ leads when it comes to sniffing out a killer, and all will enjoy following them to the exciting and very satisfying conclusion.

Again a well written story, except for a lot of repetitions. There is also more talking about sleuthing than actual sleuthing, and the investigation seems to be by discussion. Strange and boring.

Drowning in Details
This might have been a good story, but it slogs so slowly and is so boring! The author has totally drowned the story in meaningless details. As a reader, I do not need to know and don't really care if a shopper paid with a chipped credit card or how many times the waitress refilled drinks during a group discussion. It is almost as if the author needed to pad her word count. I think it would have been a great novel if 100 pages had been knocked off or if that same 100 pages had interesting things to say. I might have rated this 1 star more if this was a novice writer, but this woman has many books under her belt and is a full-time writer. I am not a fan, but perhaps you will like it more than I. This is the first book that I have read by this author. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Loved other books by Linda O. Johnston. This one didn't quite live up to expectations. It is okay and maybe some of the issues will be taken care of as I read an ARC. Knobcone sounds as if it would be a nice place to live except for all the murders. Of course without them there would be no cozy mystery.

I wanted to like this book. It has dogs and dog treats and all my favorite elements. The story was good, the cast of characters were fun and the mystery itself was interesting. But the story dragged with unimportant details of day to day life...who was wearing what, and just the mundane routine of the main character's life. My chief complaint was how many zillions of times it was mentioned that she'd "solved" previous murders. Get over yourself already. Made the main character unlikable, in my opinion.

This is a clever concept for a cozy but unfortunately this really needed a detached edit to weed out repetition and just stuff. Carrie's got potential as a character- love the concept of the two bakeries (but how does she afford the rent on both?) - but the story is weighted down. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was just an okay book. I didn't care that much for the main character (Carrie) and I felt she didn't do as much investigating as other main characters in other cosy mysteries.

An unappealing lead character who thinks she is smarter than the police sort of investigates a murder, but puts herself in jeopardy. Did not care for this book and I do not plan to read any others by this author The writing is choppy and the storyline is not credible.